Device for controlling the slack in high tension cables for a ceiling mounted x-ray tube assembly



March 12. 1968 D. M. BARRETT 3, 3

DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE SLACK IN HIGH TENSION CABLES FOR A CEILING MOUNTED X-RAY TUBE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 8, 1965 INVENTOR. DAVID M. BARRETT A TTORNEYS March 12. 1968 D. M. BARRETT 3,373,235

DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE SLACK IN HIGH TENSION CABLES FOR A CEILING MOUNTED X-RAY TUBE ASSEMBLY Filed June 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. DAVID M. BARRETT ZMA/ ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent C) 3,373,285 DEVICE FOR CONTRGLLIWG THE SLACK IN HEGH TENSIGN CABLES FOR A CEELHQG MQUNTED X-RAY TUBE ASSEMBLY David M. Barrett, Lyndhurst, Ghio, assignor to Picker X-Ray Corporation, aite Manufacturing Division, Inc, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 8, 1965, Ser. No. 462,362 7 Claims. (Cl. 25091) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLQURE The preferred construction has a ceiling-mounted carriage with a depending telescopic column supporting an X-ray tube, high-tension cables extending from the carriage to the X-ray tube, and a support cable connected to the high-tension cables midway between their connections to the carriage and the X-ray tube and connected to a counterbalance mechanism in such a manner that the support cable is taken up or let out at a vertical rate of movement approximately one-half the vertical movement of the X-ray tube.

This invention relates to X-ray devices and more particularly to a ceiling mounted mechanism for supporting an X-ray tube.

In recent years telescopic tubular columns for suspending X-ray tubes and the like from overhead supports have come into relatively wide use. One such telescopic column is described in detail in United States Patent Re. 24,982, granted May 9, 1961, to R. C. Schiring et al., and entitled, Tubular Telescopic Column. As taught in that patent, a carriage on longitudinal and transverse tracks supports the column on a ceiling permitting the column to be positioned in any desired location over an X-ray table. The X-ray tube is supported at the base of the telescopic column. The telescopic column is vertically adjustable to permit the Xray tube to be positioned at a desired vertical height.

The carriage preferably incorporates a mechanism for counterbalancing the weight of the X-ray tube. The preferred counterbalancing mechanism is that described and claimed in United States Patent No, 2,876,362, Compensating Cam and Spring Balance for X-Ray Devices, issued Mar. 3, 1959, to A. J. Foderaro. This invention utilizes the spring counterbalance of this patent.

High tension cables for energizing the X-ray tube are connected to the tube ceiling and usually supported by both the tracks and the carriage which support the tubular column. It will be recogn'med that since the X-ray tube is vertically adjustable, rather long electrical cables are used. There are times when there will be considerable slack in these electrical cables and at such times certain types of X-ray studies have, in the past, been greatly encumbered because the electrical cables hang in the path of the X-ray beam. In the past, it has been necessary for the X-ray technician to physically hold the electrical cables out of the path of the beam so that these certain studies can be conducted. The present invention overcomes this prior disadvantage through the provision of an automatic take-up mechanism which is co-ordinated to the vertical positioning of the X-ray tube.

As suggested above, typically the high tension electrical cables are connected to a movable set of tracks and also to the carriage movably supported on the movable tracks. The portions of the cables which have caused the difliculty are the portions which extend from the movable carriage to the X-ray tube. With this invention a flexible take-up is connected to the cables at a point mid-way between the overhead carriage and the X-ray tube. The flexible take-up is connected to the X-ray tube counterbalance cable to Patented be paid out, or taken in, at a rate which is one-half that of the counterbalance cable. In this way, the supported part of the electrical cables will always be at a distance below its topmost position which is one-half the distance of the X-ray tube below its topmost position. Thus, for example, when the X-ray tube is fully extended downward, the supported part of the electrical cables will be fully extended downward a distance from their top position one-half of the distance of the X-ray tube from its top position.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved high tension cable support for a ceiling mounted tubular column which maintains the high tension cables in a position out of the Way of X-ray studies.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a ceiling mounted tubular column equipped with the cable take-up mechanism of this invention; and,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the top of the carriage showing the X-ray tube counterbalance structure and the take-up mechanism for the flexible cable support of this invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, a ceiling mounted track is shown at It). The track includes an upper flange 11 which is bolted to a ceiling or the like and a depending portion which includes a rail 12, There are two such ceiling mounted tracks 18, only one being shown in the drawings. An overhead support 13 is carried by the tracks 18. The overhead support 13 includes an upstanding flange 14 on which rollers (not shown) are mounted. The overhead support 13 includes a pair of track portions 14, 15. A carriage 17 is movably mounted on the track portions 15 by rollers 18, only one of which is shown in FIGURE 1. The carriage 17 is reciprocal along the tracks 15 while the overhead support 13 is reciprocal along the tracks 12 in a path normal to the tracks 15. Thus, the carriage 17 may be moved over a horizontal area to any position within that area.

A telescopic tubular column 20 is secured to and depends from the carriage 17. The column is preferably of the construction described and claimed in the abovereferenced reissue patent. An X-ray tube assembly shown generally at 21 is secured to the lower end of the column 20. The assembly 21 includes an X-ray tube housing 22 and the usual collimator 23. The assembly also includes a mounting bracket 24 which is that portion of the assembly which is fixed to the lower end of the column 20. The X-ray tube and collimator are rotatable relative to the bracket 24 about a horizontal axis which intersects the vertical axis of the column 20. The X-ray tube and collimator may be secured in a selected rotated position through actuation of a lock knob 25.

High tension cables 26 are secured to the X-ray tube to provide the required high tension current for producing X-rays. The problem which is overcome by this invention is that in the past when the X-ray tube and collimator have been rotated about the described horizontal axis, from the position shown in the drawings, the high tension cables 26 will often be in front of the collimator lying in the path of an emitted X-ray beam. This problem has been overcome in the manner which will be described in greater detail presently.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, a plurality of counterbalance springs are shown at 30. A spring tensioning cable 31 is fixed to the carriage 17 at 32, and reeved around a spring pulley 33. The spring pulley 33 is secured to the counterbalance springs 30. The free end of the cable 31 is secured to a take-up drum 35 which rotates go wind and unwind the cable 31 and tension the springs 0.

A variable sheave 40 is connected to the drum 35 by a shaft 41. A counterbalance cable 42 extends from the variable sheave 40 over a pulley 43 and then downwardly through the column 20. The cable 42 is secured in a suitable manner to the X-ray tube (24) as, for example, in the manner shown in United States Patent No. 2,968,732, issued Jan. 7, 1961, to A. I. Foderaro, entitled, Tube Stand Counterbalance.

The counterbalance pulley 43 is mounted on a rotata ble pulley shaft 44. The pulley shaft 44 is journaled in brackets 45 and fixed to the pulley 43 so that the pulley shaft and pulley rotate together. 7 1

A high tension cable flexible support and take-up 50 is provided. The flexible take-up 50 will be a suitable cable which is secured to the high tension cable as by clamp 51. When the column 20 is fully extended, the clamp 51 is positioned mid-way between the connection of the high tension cable 26 to the X-ray tube housing 22 and the connection of the cable 26 to the carriage 17 at 53.

The take-up 50 is reeved over a pulley 55, FIGURE 2, and connected to a take-up drum 56. An arcuate shoe 60 is positioned adjacent the perimeter of the pulley 55 to prevent accidental disconnection of the take-up 50 from the pulley 55. The take-up drum 56 is secured to the counterbalance pulley shaft 44 and is of a diameter one-half that of the pulley 43. Thus, as the counterbalance cable 42 is paid out, or taken in, it will cause rotation of the pulley shaft 44. Since the drum 56 is onehalf the diameter of the pulley 43, the flexible take-up 50 will be paid out and taken in at one-half the rate of the counterbalance cable 42. Because of this, the high tension cables are always maintained in a looped condition except when fully extended. When the X-ray tube is moved to its topmost position with the column 20 collapsed the fullest amount, the clamp 51 will be substantially against the carriage 17. Similarly, when the tube is fully extended, the take-up 50 andthehigh tension will also be fully extended.

From the foregoing specific description, it will be seen that the take-up drum is of a diameter which is a fraction of the diameter of the counterbalance pulley. This fraction or ratio is determined by dividing the length of the cable between the take-up to cable connection 51 and the carriage connection at 55 by the total length of the cable from the X-ray tube assembly to the connection 53.

There is another and less apparent advantage of the invention. This invention is that the cables themselves become counterbalanced permitting easier adjusting movement of the X-ray tube assembly 21 than has heretofore been obtained.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination:

(a) an overhead assembly including a carriage adapted for mounting on a ceiling or the like;

(b) an X-ray tube assembly;

(c) tube suspending means connected to the assemblies for suspension from the carriage to suspend the tube assembly, said tube suspending means when in use being vertically adjustable for adjusting the vertical position of the tube assembly;

(d) said overhead assembly including an extensible tube supporting member connected to the tube as- 4 sembly for supporting said tube assembly in any adjusted position;

(e) electrical cables extending from one assembly to the other and of suflicient length to permit said vertical adjusting movement;

(f) a flexible cable support connected to the cables at a location spaced from the assemblies;

(g) cable support take-up means connected to the cable support for extending and retracting the cable support; and,

(h) co-ordinating means connected to the take-up means and the tube supporting member and coordinating the extension and retraction of the cable support with the vertical adjustment of the tube assembly. 7

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said coordinating means causes said take-up means to extend and retract at a given ratio and wherein said given ratio is determined by dividing the distance from said cable to take-up connection to said cable to carriage assembly connection'by the length of cable between said assemblies.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said ratio is one-half.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said tube supporting member is a counterbalance cable.

5. In an X-ray mechanism including a ceiling mounted carriage adapted to be moved to a selected position in a horizontal area, an extensible mechanism depending from the carriage and an X-ray tube assembly secured to the lower end of said mechanism, the combination of:

(a) high tension cables connected to the tube assembly and to the carriage;

(b) a tube counterbalance mechanism mounted in the carriage and including a flexible cable extending downwardly through said extensible mechanism;

(c) a shaft journaled in said carriage;

(d) a counterbalance pulley connected to said shaft and positioned above said extensible mechanism with said counterbalance cable reeved over the pulley whereby movement of the cable will cause rotation of the pulley and the connected shaft;

(e) a take-up drum mounted on said shaft,

(f) a flexible high-tension cable take-up connected to said drum and to the high-tension cable;

(g) said take-up to cable connection being mid-way between the connection of the cable to the carriage and to the X-ray tube assembly; and,

(h) said take-up drum being of a diameter approximately one-half the diameter of said counter-balance pulley.

6. In combination:

(a) tracks connected to a ceiling;

(b) an overhead support mounted on said tracks for movement therealong;

(c) a carriage movably mounted on said support for movement therealong in a path transverse to said support movement on said tracks;

(d) an extensible, telescopic column secured to said carriage for vertical adjustment movement between an upward position and a lower extended position;

(e) an X-ray tube assembly secured to said column at the base thereof; I

(f) a counterbalance mechanism carried by said carriage and including a cable connected to said X-ray tube assembly;

(g) a counterbalance cable pulley assembly journaled in said carriage above said column with said counterbalance cable reeved over the pulley assembly;

(h) a take-up drum secured to said pulley assembly and of a diameter that is of a predetermined fraction of said pulley assembly;

(i) a flexible take-up wound on said drum and having a free end extending downwardly from said carriage;

(j) electrical high tension cables extending from said X-ray tube assembly to said carriage, said electric 3,373,285 5 6 7 cables being mechanically connected to said assem- References Cite bly and 10 said carriage; and, UNITED STAT PATENTS (k) the free end of said take-up being connected to said ES 1,630,181 5/1927 'Isherwood 25091 cables at a location between said carriage and said X ray tube assembly v 5 2,737,596 3/1956 Haupt et a1 25091 7. The device of claim 6 wherein said connection of said free end of said flexible take-up to said electrical ARCHIE BORCHELT, Prlmm'y Exammercables is mid-way between the connection of said cables to said X-ray tube assembly and to said carriage and NILSON Exammer' wherein said drum is of a diameter one-half the diameter 10 A. L. BIRCH, Assistant Examiner. of said counter-balance pulley. 

